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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bound — tied together
  3. staff — employees
  4. wax — to grow
  5. net — after costs
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. staff — employees
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — in sport
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bound — obliged
  15. clip — a video
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. net — for catching
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com